New York Healthcare Stakeholders, in a Consortium Organized by Viridian Health Management, Combine Resources
to Act to Prevent Diabetes

More Than 5 Percent of New York State Residents Are Currently Diagnosed as at Risk of Developing Type 2 Diabetes

PHOENIX, AZ--(Marketwired - May 13, 2013) - Diabetes and prediabetes rates are increasing throughout the state of New York. To find innovative methods to help residents learn more about and prevent this disease, several of the state's leading healthcare groups are combining resources in diabetes awareness and prevention with the creation of the New York State Diabetes Prevention Consortium, a first-of-its-kind gathering. The potential devastation of the impact of diabetes on the health of Americans and on the financial stability of the U.S. healthcare system is staggering with the estimated cost of diabetes at $174 billion. The New York State event is a precursor to a national diabetes prevention consortium and movement to solve the diabetes crisis, which can be likened to the AIDS movement of the 1980s, where unprecedented collaboration resulted in turning the tide of devastation. On the heels of the New York state consortium meeting, consortium representatives will meet with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) Division of Diabetes Translation policy team members to discuss next steps for a national consortium action plan to prevent diabetes. Individuals who will be attending and available for interviews include Ann Albright, Director of the Division of Diabetes Translation for the CDC; Brenda Schmidt, President and CEO of Viridian Health Management; Brian Schroeder, Administrator, Occupational Medicine, Mount Sinai School of Medicine; and Susan Millstein, Director for New York State Diabetes Prevention and Control.

WHAT:The New York State Diabetes Prevention Consortium is a collaboration of the best minds, providers, local agencies, government, researchers and key stakeholders who are committed to creating a movement to prevent diabetes in the state of New York. This is the first time that this group has come together to harness its collective power to prevent diabetes. The Consortium will leverage its collective strengths to strategize on addressing the alarming rate of prediabetes and preventing the development of type 2 diabetes. This meeting, a precursor to a larger national diabetes prevention and control consortium upcoming in late 2013, provides the perfect venue for key stakeholders to collaborate and share strategies and best practices for efforts currently addressing diabetes in New York. Participants will also gain a greater understanding of the National Diabetes Prevention Program, its current footprint in the state, and how key stakeholders can utilize this program in the effort to reduce the rate of diabetes. Interactive discussions and break-out sessions are features of the consortium, providing attendees with the unique opportunity to convene, discuss cost-effective intervention strategies to help those at risk for developing type 2 diabetes in the state of New York and reign in healthcare costs through collaborative partnerships.

WHO:The consortium is organized by Viridian Health Management, a technology-enabled health services company focused on improving individual and population health for worksites, healthcare partners, communities and the public sector. A key implementation contractor for the Centers for Disease Control-led National Diabetes Prevention Program, Viridian's utilizes its national network of trained health coaches and proprietary MAESTRO™ Population Health Management technology platform to provide the necessary infrastructure to scale the program in communities across the United States that have a significant proportion of individuals at risk for developing type 2 diabetes.

Additional major healthcare stakeholders working on diabetes within the state of New York who will attend and participate include:

Art Taft, Consultant for the National Association of Chronic Disease Directors (NACDD)

Tim Koehler, President, Diabetes Prevention and Control Alliance

Eliza Ng, Medical Director for Emblem Health

Michel Faulkner, President of the Institute for Leadership

Lisa A Ferretti, Public Service Professor and Director, Center for Excellence in Aging & Community Wellness, New York State Evidence-Based Health Programs, Quality & Technical Assistance Center

Shelley Hirshberg, Executive Director, P2 Collaborative of Western New York

WHERE:
New York City Seminar and Conference Center
71 West 23rd Street, Suite 515 (23rd Street and 6th Avenue)
New York, NY 10010

WHY:In the state of New York, diabetes statistics are alarming:

8.9% of New York residents currently have diabetes

25% of the population in the state of New York are obese

25% of the entire population in the state of New York are physically inactive

5.6% of New York state residents have prediabetes

85.2% of New York state adult residents with diabetes are overweight or obese

39.6% of New York state adult residents with diabetes are physically inactive

On a national level, diabetes has reached epidemic proportions in the United States. Nearly 26 million adults and children -- 8.3 percent of the U.S. population -- have diabetes.1 According to a recent report published in the March 22 issue of the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, approximately one in three U.S. adults over 20 years of age -- an estimated 79 million people -- have pre-diabetes, placing them at an increased risk for developing type 2 diabetes.2 Approximately 30 percent of those who are at risk for developing type 2 diabetes will develop diabetes over the course of a decade.3 If the current trend continues, it is estimated that one in three U.S. adults will have diabetes by 2050.4